Liverpool

Architecture Tours

The best way to appreciate Merseyside and Liverpool’s iconic waterfront is from the River Mersey. Start the adventure from the Pier Head, where the 50-minute river cruise departs from hourly. Departing hourly, on the hour, the 50-minute river cruise sails from Pier Head. Enjoy commentary that highlights the city’s waterfront heritage.  The open-top city bus tour shows the best of Liverpool to you by land. Visit iconic places of interest and learn about the city’s culture and history with a live guide on every bus. Hop off and back on to visit sites of interest to you. Bus tour stops: • Albert Dock • Pier Head • Liverpool One • The Cavern Quarter • Museums, Gallery & Library • Queen Square Bus Station • Adelphi Hotel • Metropolitan Cathedral • Philharmonic Pub • Liverpool Cathedral • St Luke's - Bombed Out Church • Chinese Arch • Cain's Brewery Village • M&S Arena & ACC

Gain entry to the Royal Liver Building with this entry ticket and guided tour. Visit the West Clock Tower of the building, witness an Audio Visual experience and behold panoramic views of the city of Liverpool from various outdoor viewing platforms. Start your tour in the visitor's centre in the West Basement. See unique images and pieces from the building's construction as well as information about the creation of Liverpool's most famous residents. Meet your guide in the presentation area and watch a brief safety video before learning about the original owners of the building, the Royal Liver Friendly Society as well as history of the building's creation. Hop in a lift to the first viewing platform and head out onto the 10th floor roof to behold views of the River Mersey towards the Welsh Mountains. Take photos from the highest external point granting you clear views of the Great George Liver Clocks. Head up 89 stairs to the 14th floor to partake in a 270 degree Audio Visual experience. Set behind the clockfaces of the West Tower the projection show utilizes a mixture of lights, sound, and 4D elements like wind machines that will give you a look back through time. Enjoy the AV display that lasts for 9 minutes and tells the story of the city's history over the last 100 years since the creation of the Liver Birds and Liver Building. Using digital mapping the architecture of the room is used as part of the storytelling to give you an experience unlike any other in Liverpool. Move on to the final destination as you ascend 35 stairs to the top of the Royal Liver Building and out onto the 15th floor. Admire the Liver Bird sculptures that sit atop of the building and enjoy breathtaking 360 degree views of the city.

Leave the music city of Liverpooland travel to Wales on a 90-minute, fully-narrated journey arriving at Llandudno. Visit the 12th century hidden chapel of St. Tudno on the Great Orme. Next is the walled town of Conwy, constructed in 1283 with a fabulous 3/4-mile wall circuit. Go inside Conwy Castle (not included), a gritty, dark-stoned fortress built by James of St. George in partnership with Frenchman Richard The Engineer. Afterwards, head to Snowdonia National Park using carefully-selected, off-the-beaten-track routes with a stop at the so-called “capital of North Wales,” Betws-Y-Coed prayer house in the woods. Finally, take the unique opportunity to experience the Pontcysyllte Canal Aqueduct, built by Sir Thomas Telford between 1795 and 1805. Prepare to be entertained and informed by your experienced guide and driver along the way.

The tour departs from Liverpool and drives out of the city into the luscious surrounding countryside. Admire the views as you travel to the UK’s largest national park, the Lake District, stopping at the underground Rheged Discovery Center along the way. During the partially narrated 2-hour journey to the Lake District, the tour also stops by the famous Castlerigg Neolithic Stone Circle where you can feel ancient mythical energy flowing around you. Continue onto Grasmere Village, which boasts an array of beautiful 19th-century architecture, as well as the grave of well-known poet William Wordsworth. Afterwards, let your nose lead the way to Sarah Nelson’s Gingerbread Shop, where you can taste a selection of traditional sweet treats from the region. After you’ve filled up on gingerbread, it’s time to explore the national park and navigate through the Langdales, also known as "Little Switzerland". As you wander around the park, marvel at breathtaking views over the landscape, consisting of some of the most dramatic and diverse scenery in the UK. Throughout the tour, enjoy plenty of stops both on and off the bus to make the most of your trip to the Lake District. One of the highlights of the day includes an amble around Blea Tarn and a stop at Ambleside, where you can get lost in the maze of twisting streets or shop at a selection of picturesque stores.

You are invited to discover the haunted place of Liverpool with an interactive city exploration app. You will be guided step-by-step to the cursed buildings where they carry out their eternal punishments while you learn all of their stories. Brace yourself and come explore Haunted Liverpool, all with the help of your smartphone. Each clue will lead you from one place to another, giving you exact directions, so you won’t need a map, a GPS or a guide. When you solve it and guess the answer, the secret story of that place is unlocked. Along the way, you’ll find horror stories that will give you the chills. Dare you go on this tour? Complete the tour at your own pace as there's no time limit, though around two hours is normally enough. Pause the game at any time, and restart whenever you want from the last place you visited. For larger groups, one person can purchase access for the entire group by selecting the number of people in the group. All group members will be able to play the city game on their smartphone. Alternatively, each person can purchase their own ticket. You can play as a group and solve the clues together as you walk, or you can split into smaller groups/teams and compete against the others. Each person can also play on their own, separate from the group, and meet the group at the end.

Embark on a history tour of Liverpool led by a theatrical guide, and marvel as the city's original streets are brought to life using street theater techniques. Get exclusive access to the darkest and less well known avenues, and encounter landmarks such as the lofty banking halls of Castle Street. Admire the regal opulence of the Town Hall and venture down crooked back alleys and lamp-lit lanes in the now bustling commercial district. End within the boundary of a medieval garden, hidden beneath a Gothic spire, entered through a trapdoor. Named by the American author, Hermann Melville as the "Liverpool Dead House" for its grisly and gruesome nature, the undergroud morgue is located within the quiet surroundings of the Church of Our Lady and St. Nicholas and has remained closed to the public for over a century. Learn the history of the site, such as how it was used as a temporary police station during World War II, and how in the 18th and 19th centuries locals would come to peer through the grim iron grates and gaze upon the faces of the deceased.  

Experience the magic of Liverpool on a guided walking sightseeing tour of its culture, history and landmark architecture. Explore the history of the Beatles in their place of birth, and roam the streets and alleys that have inspired generations of musicians and artists. Travel back in time to see a bombed-out church from World War II that now stands as a symbol of the vibrant city's resilience. Look into how culture has shaped Liverpool, and been shaped by it in turn, and find out why it was named the European Capital of Culture in 2008. Go to Chinatown to see the largest Chinese arch in Europe at 13.5 meters tall. Encounter other fine examples of civic and private architecture that define Liverpool’s dynamism. Venture down some of the city's most atmospheric nooks and crannies, and discover hidden treasures along the way. Visit sites where many Hollywood movies have been,and will be, shot as you unravel the story of Liverpool with your guide.

Explore the top sights in Liverpool with an immersive smartphone scavenger hunt and self-guided walking tour. Discover the city with location-based while admiring the sights in a unique way. See the World Museum and visit the largest cathedral in Britain. After downloading your tour app (download instructions received via email after booking), begin your adventure to 10 of the most important attractions of the city. With maximum flexibility, you can start the activity at any time, stopping and going as you please. Once you start, you'll uncover clues at each attraction to reveal your next destination. Use logic, imagination, observation, and team spirit to solve a puzzle at the exterior of each attraction and work toward finishing the game. Along the way, take in the sights at your own pace while learning information and facts about Liverpool. Choose to take a lunch break, stop to fully enjoy the sights, and capture as many pictures as you want. The tour route includes the World Museum, St. George’s Hall, St. Johns Beacon, the Cavern Club, The Three Graces, the Museum of Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, Nordic Church and Cultural Centre, Chinatown, Liverpool Cathedral, and more.

Trace the historical roots of Liverpool on a guided tour of the city center. Experience the city with a local guide as you tour its most important spots, including the Cavern Club and the waterfront. Learn about Liverpool's turbulent history as you explore the eclectic streets and admire the diverse architecture. Stop by the waterfront and the Albert Docks and hear about the city's trading history and its connection to the Titanic. Follow the lives of the Beatles from their early days in the Cavern Club. Admire the beloved city buildings that form the Three Graces along the Pier Head as well as lesser-known hidden gems along the way.

Get a taste of Yorkshire on a full-day minibus tour from Liverpool. Explore the county's history and cuisine, admire feats of Victorian engineering, and see the picturesque Hardraw Force waterfall. After a partially-narrated 2-hour journey, arrive in Haworth to discover the stories of the Bronte Sisters – Anne, Charlotte, and Emily. From there, head to the stunning limestone feature of Malham Cove, formed by melt-water from glaciers over 12,000 years ago. See the impressive Ribblehead Viaduct, a masterpiece of 19th-century engineering, and take a stroll to get a closer look at its 1.5 million bricks. A stop at the must-visit Wensleydale Creamery follows. Sample some of its famous cheeses, made originally by Cistercian Monks. Next, visit the pretty village of Hawes, a honeypot of a town boasting shops, cafes, pubs, and locals sipping John Smith's while munching a Yorkshire Pudding. Once you have explored Hawes, head to Hardraw Force, the UK's highest single-drop waterfall, which is over 100 feet tall. Enjoy the splash pool and the breathtaking natural “amphitheater” before beginning your journey back to Liverpool.